Bluegrass Next For Win Missy B
Win Missy B brings a four-race win streak to her $109,100 Bluegrass Stakes division for two-year-old filly trotters on Thursday at the Red Mile in Lexington, where she will see a familiar rival
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Starting next to Win Missy B will be Check Me Out. Win Missy B defeated Check Me Out in the $447,000 Peaceful Way Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack on September 17, one week after handing Check Me Out the first loss of her career in their Peaceful Way elimination.
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In July, Check Me Out won an elimination for the Merrie Annabelle at the Meadowlands, with Win Missy B finishing seventh after going off stride. Check Me Out captured the $333,200 final the following weekend.
Check Me Out, trained by Ray Schnittker, is the leading money-winning two-year-old trotter in North America, with $409,808, and has won eight of 10 races. Win Missy B, trained by Charlie Norris, is second among fillies, with $310,280, and has won five of eight starts.
They will see each other in the first of three Bluegrass divisions.
“For my sake and Ray’s sake, we wish they wouldn’t have drawn in together,” Norris said with a chuckle. “We’re both confident in our horses. They’re both really nice mares. It should make it a good race. Hopefully, we can come out on top.”
Bred and owned by Bob Key, Win Missy B is a daughter of Conway Hall-Winning Missbrenda. She is a half-sister to top open trotter Winning Mister and her family also includes Britelite Lobell, the 1985 Dan Patch Award winner for best two-year-old filly trotter, and Hambletonian winners Blaze Hanover (1960), Shirley Hanover (1937) and Hanovers Bertha (1930).
“Her mother was OK; she made a little bit of money at (age) three,” said Norris, who is four wins from reaching 2,000 as a driver and 22 victories from 1,000 as a trainer. “I had her. She never had quite as much speed as her offspring, but it looks like she’s becoming a decent broodmare.”
Win Missy B started her career with a fourth-place finish in a division of the Reynolds Stakes at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. She was second in a division of the Tompkins-Geers at Tioga Downs before getting her first win at the Meadowlands in a race for Merrie Annabelle eligible preferred fillies.
In her Merrie Annabelle elim, she encountered traffic trouble, which led to her going off stride.
“She’s been good all year,” Norris said. “She did everything right all winter. We had to change her rigging a couple times, but other than that she’s OK. She’s just a little green.”
Prior to the Peaceful Way, Win Missy B won a $105,000 division of the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes in 1:56.1 at Indiana Downs, setting the track record for two-year-old filly trotters.
“That was a huge mile she trotted in Indiana,” Norris said. “It’s really hard to fault her. She loves doing her business and she’s always happy. She’s a good horse. That really helps. It makes everyone around her look good.”
Following are the fields in post position order for the Bluegrass Stakes for two-year-old filly trotters:
Bluegrass Stakes – 1st Division
1. Flower Bouquet
2. Sterling Volo
3. Check Me Out
4. Win Missy B
5. Lady Andi
6. Cant Have My Moni
7. Temple Blue Chip
8. Exercise To Go
9. Celebrity Lovin
10. Personal Style
Bluegrass Stakes – 2nd Division
1. Anandamide
2. She Wears It Well
3. Cant Be Seduced
4. All In The Muscles
5. Real Babe
6. On The Bright Side
7. D Orsay
8. Xquisite Chocolate
9. Canadian Justice
Bluegrass Stakes – 3rd Division
1. Adreamcomestrue AS
2. Southwind Moni
3. Voluptuous Ronda
4. Kissnmakup Hanover
5. Chilitodayhotamale
6. Maven
7. Angel Eyes Hanover
8. Mrs Mrs Jones
9. Uncommon Night
10. Aunt Mel
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.